▸ Position the child supine in CT scanner with head rotated 45 degrees away from the TMJ to be injected.
▸ Perform axial CT scan through the area of interest.
▸ Prepare access site anterior to tragus with povidone-iodine and alcohol and anesthetize it with 1% lidocaine using a 30-gauge needle.
▸ Use CT to confirm needle placement for steroid injection in mandibular fossa.
▸ Inject long-acting steroid (1 mL triamcinolone acetonide) into TMJ with an 18- or 21-gauge needle.
In the aforementioned investigation, all of the procedures were performed on an outpatient basis, and none of the known potential immediate reactions to intra-articular steroid injection—such as pain, headache, joint infection, or loss of subcutaneous fat—was observed, according to the authors.